1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to marine hardware. More particularly, the invention concerns an improved bracket that can be used to interconnect a support platform with a boat transom.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The use of small boats in the sports of water-skiing and diving has become increasingly popular in recent years. To assist the water skiers and divers in entering and leaving the boat, sport platforms such as swim boards are often affixed to the boat transom. In many instances the support platforms are rigidly and permanently affixed to the boat. In other cases devices have been suggested to enable the support platform to be removably affixed to the boat transom. Exemplary of one such device is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,081 issued to Porter. The Porter device comprises a two-piece construction that provides attachment of a swim board to a boat transom, while permitting removal of the swim board from the boat when desired. One piece of the Porter platform bracket is a wall portion that bolts directly to the boat transom with through-bolts. This wall portion includes a transom plate for attachment to the transom and a hollow jacket or receiver member secured to the plate with the longitudinal axis of the receiver disposed parallel to the plane of the transom plate so that the receiver is oriented generally vertically when the transom plate is bolted to the transom. The other piece of the Porter platform bracket is a separate shelf portion, which screws directly to the swim board itself. The shelf portion includes a support plate for attachment to the swim board; a longitudinal shaft or post, which is mounted to the support plate at an angle so that the plane of the swim board will be parallel to the water's surface; and a reinforcing brace triangulating the two. The post portion of the shelf portion is sized to fit within the hollow receiver of the wall portion, with a channel cut-out of the receiver to accommodate the reinforcing brace. A cotter pin or other locking mechanism fits through a hole in the hollow receiver and solid post to lock the two in place, thereby securing the swim board to the boat.
A somewhat similar device to that disclosed in the Porter '081 patent is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,534 also issued to Porter. This latter device also comprises a two-piece construction. One piece of the platform bracket is a wall portion that bolts directly to the boat transom with through-bolts. This wall portion includes a transom plate for attachment to the transom and an upper and lower flange member secured to the transom plate so that the flanges are oriented generally horizontally when the transom plate is bolted to the transom. The other piece of the platform bracket is a separate shelf portion, which screws directly to the swim support plate for attachment to the swim board; a vertical support member, which is mounted to the horizontal support plate at an angle so that the plane of the swim board will be parallel to the surface of the water; and a brace member triangulating the two. The vertical support member of the shelf portion includes a base that is sized to engage a connector in the lower flange member of the wall portion. A self-locking pin or other locking mechanism fits through complementary holes in the upper flange member of the wall portion and the horizontal support plate of the shelf portion to lock the two in place, thereby securing the swim board to the boat.
As will be better understood from the description which follows, the device of the present invention is specially designed to simplify the interconnection of the swim board component of the device with the connector member that is attached to the boat transom. More particularly, the apparatus of the present invention incorporates a strategically configured, dovetail-like, half-lap joint and a cooperating locking pin to securely interconnect the swim board component with the connector member. This novel construction enables the swim board component to be quickly and easily connected to an disconnected from the boat without the troublesome step of having to line tip a plurality of spaced-apart connector posts with spaced-apart posts receiving sleeves.